I have a pain in my upper abdomen from about 5 months. my doctor sent me a lot of studies and the hida scan revealed a 38%. can it be the reason for the pain?

Yes: If a hida shows ejection fraction of 38%, this is borderline for biliary dyskinesia, or gallbladder dysfunction (35% is abnormal). Biliary dyskinesia can often cause right upper quadrant abdominal pain.

Yes and no: There are several potential causes for abdominal pain or discomforts. A 99mtc-hida scan is performed to detect intra or extrahepatic billiary obstruction and to evaluate the ejection fraction of the gallbladder which , usually, should be more then 40%. In your case it is very borderline. If endoscopy and ultrasound study are normal, it would be relevant to perform another hida to control the ef.

Many causes of pain: In adults above 35% gb ejection fraction is considered normal. Sometimes this test is inconclusive if typical symptoms and clinical findings point to gall bladder disease. Every other cause of symptoms pancreatitis, gastritis, esophagitis should be excluded before surgical therapy contemplated. Sometimes avoidance of fatty foods can alleviate symptoms of gall bladder disease.